September 2007

from Thomas Brooks

Of all mercies, pardoning mercy is the most sweetening mercy. It is a mercy that makes all other mercies look like mercies, and taste like mercies, and work like mercies. He who has it cannot be miserable; he who wants it, cannot be happy.

A humble heart cannot be satisfied with so much grace as will bring it to glory, with so much of heaven as will keep it from dropping into hell; it is still crying out, ‘Give, Lord, give; give me more of thyself, more of thy Son, more of thy Spirit; give me more light, more life, more love’.

Satan promises the best, but pays the worst; he promises honour, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death. But God pays as he promises; all his payments are made in pure gold.

Grace is a ring of gold, and Christ is the sparkling diamond in that ring.

Oh how should the saints, that have God for their portion, make their boast of their God, and rejoice in their God, and glory in their God! Shall the men of the world glory in an earthly portion, and shall not a saint glory in his heavenly portion? Shall they glory in a portion that they have only in hope, and shall not a Christian glory in that portion that he hath already in hand? Shall they glory in a portion that they have only in reversion, and shall not a saint glory in that portion which he hath in present possession? Shall they glory in their hundreds and thousands a year, and shall not a Christian glory in that God that fills heaven and earth with his glory? In all the Scriptures there is no one duty more pressed than this, of rejoicing in God; and indeed, if you consider God as a saint’s portion, there is everything in God that may encourage the soul to rejoice in him, and there is nothing in God that may in the least discourage the soul from rejoicing and glorying in him.

Weak saints are as much united to Christ, as much justified by Christ, as much reconciled by Christ, and as much pardoned by Christ, as the strongest saints. He that looked upon the brazen serpent, though with weak sight, was healed as thoroughly as he that looked upon it with a stronger sight.

Private prayer is a golden key to unlock the mysteries of the word unto us. The knowledge of many choice and blessed truths are but the returns of private prayer. The word dwells most richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out of their hearts before God in their closets.